EFL League Two Playoffs 2019/20: Exeter City vs Colchester United – tactical analysis

Exeter City booked their place in the EFL League Two play-off final, after beating Colchester United 3-2 on aggregate. The U’s entered the second leg with a 1-0 lead from the first leg, but this was wiped out after ten minutes thanks to a goal from Exeter’s Aaron Martin. Left wing-back Jayden Richardson put the Grecians in front after 58 minutes, but the visitors hit back 20 minutes later through Courtney Senior.

The sides couldn’t be separated at full time, but Exeter’s top scorer Ryan Bowman hit the winner in the second half of extra time.

This tactical analysis will focus on the tactics used by both sides, in what was a very eerie semi-final in front of an empty St James’ Park.

Lineups

Matt Taylor opted for his usual 3-5-2 system. Jon Maxted started between the sticks, behind a back three of Pierce Sweeney, Aaron Martin, and Dean Moxey. Jayden Richardson replaced Jack Sparkes at left wing-back, whilst Randell Williams retained his place on the other side. Former Rangers man Nicky Law kept his spot in the midfield, alongside Jake Taylor. The only alteration in the engine room was Archie Collins coming in for Nigel Atangana. Ryan Bowman started up front alongside Alex Fisher, who replaced the injured Lee Martin.

Colchester started with a 4-4-2 system. Dean Gerken started in goal. Former Arsenal man Cohen Bramall played at left-back, with Tom Eastman, Luke Prosser and Ryan Jackson making up the rest of an unchanged back four. Ben Stevenson and Harry Pell played as central midfielders, with Luke Gambin and Kwame Poku played out wide. Franck Nouble played alongside but sometimes just behind Luke Norris.

Exeter’s fast start

First of all, the analysis will focus on how Exeter began the clash on the front foot. Before the game, Grecians manager Matt Taylor told the press his team needed to start quickly: and that’s exactly what they did. In the opening leg, star man Randell Williams struggled to make an impact on the game. The 23-year-old, who has 14 assists to his name, only managed 54 touches of the ball on Thursday night. He managed two key passes, attempted eight crosses and 0 shots.